7 things I can now do after being an Editor’s Pick on WordPress Discover!

Imagine this scenario:

It’s a quiet Friday night, your tummy is full from supper, and you’re checking your online banking to check the week’s spending.  Just as you begin daydreaming about your plans for the weekend, the phone rings interrupting your thoughts.

“I’m on my way home,” a loved one informs you.  ”And I’m bringing about 1000 friends with me.”

“WHAT?!?!” you exclaim.

“We’ll be there in an hour.”

PANIC.

This was essentially how I felt after receiving an email from a WordPress editor letting me know that one of my posts was selected as an editor’s pick.

It meant that this blogging platform- WordPress- would feature our site on the Discover page which picks the best blog posts and shares them with the entire blogging community. So there my little panda-inspired slice of the web would be on their account which has over 12.8 million followers. Of course I wasn’t surprised that it happened to be the the ONE post Fox and I collaborated on together… it just goes to show that this husband & wife duo work best when we put our heads together.

Anyway, I snapped myself out of my temporary paralysis and started doing the blog equivalent of housework over the course of a few days.  I altered the colours, adjusted the fonts, tinkered with a widget here, tightened up a post there and double checked the ‘subscribe’ and ‘share’ buttons.

I actually had to wait around 10 days before it happened; in fact I had given up hope that it would happen at all. But last Sunday evening, it began: the ‘likes’, the comments, and the follows.  Thousands of new visitors traipsed through my house, hugged my babies, admired my throw pillows and commented on Fox’s wall art.  Though the overwhelming majority were wonderful guests (please come again!), some had their own agenda and a couple even tried to kick our dogs (I’m watching you).

And then…

*crickets*

*I peek my head out*

Coast is clear.  Whew!

Looks like the party’s over and everyone went home.  Now that it’s just us, can we chat?

So what does being an Editor’s Pick mean for me as a blogger? It equals a substantial increase in traffic to the site, recognition among my blogging peers, more subscribers and a confidence boost. All this and I have been blogging for less than a year! I feel chuffed!

I don’t know the odds of being selected. I’ll leave that to the math whizzes out there to determine. I may be good with words, but I’m certainly not good with numbers.

Of one thing I’m certain, though. It feels good, absolutely remarkable in fact, to realize that our experiences are resonating with readers and that my posts (at least one of them) have been chosen as among the best in the world. I am also taking this as a sign that Fox and I need to collaborate more!

When a writer writes for the pure joy of writing and takes photos for the pure joy of taking photos, it shows.

7 Things I Can Do Now Since Being Featured on Discover:

1. I can wear a sash on the streets of Kuwait that says “Miss Editor’s Pick.” Or maybe not, since I hate ironing and Fox isn’t around to do my bidding.

2. I can revel in the fact that I am finally getting positive comments and feedback from people besides my mum and my sister.

3. I can experience 5 minutes of fame without claiming to be impregnated by a pop star or having had an affair with U.S. president (considering who the American president is now, that would be pretty gross. Obama would’ve been a different story).

4. I can be happy that I now have readers in places I not only have never heard of, but also can’t pronounce their names. Although that won’t stop me from trying. (Llanfair Pwllgwyngyll … anyone?)

5. I get to put a new Discover tattoo on my website’s face! It’s here on the right (scroll up to find it) ->

6. I can boast about my new virtual friends in the region since I discovered a lot of bloggers in other Middle Eastern countries, sharing their experiences with the world too.

7. I have since figured out who at Discover I need to bribe in order to get featured again. Ben Huberman, if you are reading this, lets get in touch to discuss your terms. This has been fun!

So if you are new here:

¡Bienvenido! স্বাগতম! Selamat Datang! 您好! Tervetuloa! こんにちは! Добро пожаловать!  안녕하세요! สวัสดี! Hoşgeldiniz! Saluti! नमस्कार! !مرحبا hujambo! Goeie dag! გამარჯობა! Herzlich Willkommen! Ahoj! Sanbonani! Witam!

Its is really great to have you here in my virtual home. I would love if you could leave me a little comment about where you are from and what you’re blogging about so we can get to know each other!

SaveSave